| Nitesh Kumar | |
| Birth Date: | 30 December 1994 |
| Birth Place: | Bas Kirtan, Rajasthan, India |
| Residence: | Karnal, Haryana, India |
| Handedness: | Right |
| Years Active: | 2016–present |
| Event: | Men's singles SL3 Men's doubles SL3–SL4 |
| Highest Ranking: | Men's singles 3 (2022) Men's doubles 2; with Tarun Dhillon (2022) |
| Current Ranking: | Men's singles: 1 Men's doubles: 5 |
| Bwfpara Id: | 7E08A24F-5024-4D26-9BBF-FB48E9DA890C |
Nitesh Kumar (born 30 December 1994) is an Indian para-badminton player.[1] He won a gold at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in the men's singles SL3 category.[2] He is a two-time silver and one-time bronze medalist at the World Championships. Kumar has won one gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the Asian Para Games over the years.[3]
Kumar was born on 30 December 1994 in Bas Kirtan, Rajasthan. In 2009, he lost his left leg in a train accident in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. After bed ridden for many months, he prepared for IIT entrance exam for over a year and joined Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi in 2014. He started playing badminton at IIT and in 2016 represented the Haryana team at the Para National Championships.[4] He resides at Karnal, Haryana and is supported by sports NGO, Olympic Gold Quest.[5]
He made his international debut in 2016. In 2017, he won his first title at the Irish Para-Badminton International. Later, he took part and won matches at BWF Para Badminton World Circuit and won a gold medal at the 2022 Asian Para Games at Hangzhou, China.
He became the world number 3 in the SL3 category on 14 June 2022.[6]
In 2019, he started working as Senior Badminton Coach at the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, Haryana.[7]
Men's singles SL3
Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan |  Pramod Bhagat | 19–21, 19–21 | Silver | |
| 2024 | Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall, Pattaya, Thailand | Daniel Bethell | 18–21, 22–20, 14–21 | Bronze |
Men's doubles
Men's singles
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia | Anand Kumar Boregowda |  Jeon Sun-woo Joo Dong-jae | 16–21, 11–21 | Bronze | |
| 2022 | Binjiang Gymnasium, Hangzhou, China | Sukant Kadam | Dwiyoko Fredy Setiawan | 9–21, 21–19, 22–20 | Gold |
Mixed doubles
The BWF Para Badminton World Circuit – Grade 2, Level 1, 2 and 3 tournaments has been sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation from 2022.[8] [9]
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Opponent | Score | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Pramod Bhagat | 21–17, 17–21, 17–21 | Runner-up | |
| 2022 | Brazil Para Badminton International | Level 2 |  Daisuke Fujihara | 21–15, 18–21, 21–18 | Winner | |
| 2022 | Dubai Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Pramod Bhagat | 21–19, 17–21, 17–21 | Runner-up | |
| 2023 | Brazil Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Pramod Bhagat | 21–12, 21–13 | Winner | |
| 2023 | Bahrain Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Pramod Bhagat | 16–21, 17–21 | Runner-up | |
| 2023 | Western Australia Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Manoj Sarkar | 21–14, 21–14 | Winner | |
| 2024 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Manoj Sarkar | 21–17, 21–14 | Winner | |
| 2024 | Spanish Para Badminton International I | Level 1 |  Oleksandr Chyrkov | 21–11, 21–13 | Winner | |
| 2024 | 4 Nations Para Badminton International | Level 1 | Daniel Bethell | 11–21, 7–21 | Runner-up |
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Sukant Kadam | Pramod Bhagat Manoj Sarkar | 19–21, 21–11, 11–21 | Runner-up | |
| 2022 | Brazil Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Tarun Dhillon | Mohammad Arwaz Ansari Deep Ranjan Bisoyee | 21–13, 17–21, 18–21 | Runner-up | |
| 2022 | Bahrain Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Tarun Dhillon |  Mongkhon BunsunSiripong Teamarrom | 21–13, 21–7 | Winner | |
| 2023 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Tarun Dhillon | Pramod Bhagat Sukant Kadam | 20–22, 21–12, 9–21 | Runner-up | |
| 2023 | Thailand Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Tarun Dhillon | Pramod Bhagat Sukant Kadam | 21–18, 14–21, 19–21 | Runner-up | |
| 2023 | Bahrain Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Tarun Dhillon | Pramod Bhagat Sukant Kadam | 24–22, 9–21, 14–21 | Runner-up | |
| 2023 | Canada Para Badminton International | Level 1 | Tarun Dhillon | Nilesh Gaikwad Nehal Gupta | 21–12, 21–8 | Winner | |
 Guillaume GaillyWilliam Roussy | 21–13, 21–12 | ||||||
| Deep Ranjan Bisoyee Manoj Sarkar | 21–9, 17–21, 21–16 | ||||||
| Pramod Bhagat Sukant Kadam | 11–21, 21–16, 21–16 | ||||||
| 2022 | Bahrain Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Tarun Dhillon | Mongkhon Bunsun Siripong Teamarrom | 21–13, 21–7 | Winner | |
| 2023 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Tarun Dhillon | Pramod Bhagat Sukant Kadam | 20–22, 21–12, 9–21 | Runner-up |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Brazil Para-Badminton International | Level 2 | Thulasimathi Murugesan | Hikmat Ramdani Leani Ratri Oktila | 18–21, 9–21 | Runner-up | |
| 2023 | Uganda Para Badminton International | Level 3 | Thulasimathi Murugesan | Naveen Sivakumar Palak Kohli | 21–12, 21–11 | Winner | |
| 2023 | Western Australia Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Thulasimathi Murugesan | Fredy Setiawan Khalimatus Sadiyah | 15–21, 22–20, 21–19 | Winner | |
| 2024 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Thulasimathi Murugesan | Chirag Baretha Mandeep Kaur | 21–11, 21–16 | Winner | |
| 2024 | Spanish Para Badminton International I | Level 1 | Thulasimathi Murugesan | Lucas Mazur Faustine Noël | 22–20, 21–15 | Winner |
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Uganda Para Badminton International | Umesh Vikram Kumar | 21–17, 15–21, 15–21 | Runner-up | |
| 2020 | Peru Para Badminton International | Pramod Bhagat | 18–21, 21–15, 14–21 | Runner-up | |
| 2021 | Dubai Para Badminton International | Pramod Bhagat | 17–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Dubai Para Badminton International | Fredy Setiawan | Ukun Rukaendi Hary Susanto | 17–21, 15–21 | Runner-up | |
| 2019 | Turkish Para Badminton International | Tarun Dhillon | Dwiyoko Fredy Setiawan | 14–21, 15–21 | Runner-up | |
| 2019 | Irish Para Badminton International | Tarun Dhillon | Pramod Bhagat Manoj Sarkar | 21–13, 18–21, 21–23 | Runner-up | |
| 2021 | Dubai Para Badminton International | Sukant Kadam | Pramod Bhagat Manoj Sarkar | 18–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |